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Movie in the Park this Thursday, June 26th

All are welcome to a free outdoor screening of the youth-produced Peninsula Park documentary, Through the Years, Through Our Eyes: A Teen View of Peninsula Park, scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 2014 at Peninsula Park, N. Ainsworth& N. Albina. Special guests include the Portland School of Rock band and Chael Sonnen, mixed martial artist and wrestling champion, who will help showcase the vaunted Peninsula Wrestling Club.

WHAT: A free documentary screening of Through the Years, Through Our Eyes: A Teen View of Peninsula Park, with an appearance by mixed martial arts star Chael Sonnen, and a live performance from the Portland School of Rock teen band. The event is a fundraiser for the Peninsula Wrestling Club.

The event, hosted by the Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden, the Piedmont Neighborhood Association and Portland Parks & Recreation, will start at 6:15 pm in the vicinity of the gazebo; the screening will begin at 9:00 pm. Free popcorn will be provided and attendees are encouraged to bring snacks and/or a picnic.

The documentary screening of Through the Years, Through Our Eyes: A Teen View of Peninsula Park will be a fundraiser for the Peninsula Wrestling Club (PWC). Since its founding by Coach Roy Pittman in 1970, the Peninsula Wrestling Club, has served 60,000 youth and adults. Many Club members have won state, regional and national titles and have been members of the US Olympic teams. Former PWC wrestler and Milwaukie High School graduate Kelsey Campbell took part in the 2012 London Olympic women’s freestyle wrestling competitions. There will be a wrestling demonstration prior to the movie showing.

The documentary explores the history of the 100 year-old Peninsula Park and adjacent community center. It was produced by a group of teens, under the guidance of instructors Billy Miller and Carlos Lasuncet, as part of the park’s Centennial celebration.

“The students put in a lot work to create this documentary,” said film instructor Billy Miller, who along with Carlos Lasuncet provided guidance to the young filmmakers. “I am incredibly proud of their efforts, how it turned out and what they learned along the way.”

Portland’s School of Rock band, made up of local teen musicians, will perform before the movie. Since 2006, the band has played with The Decemberists, The Thermals, Death Cab for Cutie, the Portland Cello Project and other well-known musical groups.

The event, hosted by the Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden, the Piedmont Neighborhood Association and Portland Parks & Recreation, will start at 6:15 pm in the vicinity of the Gazebo; the screening will begin at 9:00 pm. Free popcorn will be provided and attendees are encouraged to bring snacks and/or a picnic.

About the Peninsula Wrestling Club

The Peninsula Wrestling Club, which is housed in the Community Center, has been in existence for 40-plus years and has worked with more than 60,000 young people. Wrestlers from the Club have won local, state and national titles and have been members of the US Olympic teams since the 1980s. Coach Roy Pittman has led the Club for decades and has been a mentor and inspiration to scores of young people from North Portland and across the City. Coach Pittman is a fixture in North Portland and has a prominent role in the documentary screening. This event will be an opportunity to raise money for the Wrestling Club. For more information about the Club, go to http://peninsulawrestling.org/.

About Portland’s School of Rock

School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, drums and combines weekly private music lessons and group band rehearsals to prepare students to take the stage in front of live audiences in an authentic concert setting. Believing that the best way to learn music is to play music, students are taken from the lesson room to the stage, developing both their confidence and musicianship with programs designed for all skill levels. Since the Portland school opened in 2006, Portland students have played with well-known bands such as The Decemberists, The Thermals, Death Cab for Cutie, Steve Malkmus (Pavement), Frank Black (Pixies), Red Fang, Blind Pilot, Portugal. The Man, Blitzen Trapper, The Portland Cello Project, and many more. Their website is http://portland.schoolofrock.com/.

About Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden

Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden was formed in 2012 with a mission to preserve, protect and enhance the Rose Garden for all generations. The Garden is Portland’s first public rose garden. This formal French garden designed by Emanuel Mische, Portland’s first Parks Commissioner, contains more than 5,000 roses. For more information about Friends, send email to penrosevolunteers@gmail.com